Ever since Ford introduced the all-new GT at NAIAS 2015, we've been stuck attaching the same tired "600+ hp" to the twin-turbo EcoBoost V6. No longer. Today Ford dropped a fuller spec list for the 2017 GT, detailing not only its specific power figure, but also a top speed, weight and more. We knew the GT would be one of the most riveting cars out there and now Ford confirms it.
The GT owns a number of bragging rights within Dearborn, not least of which is the title of fastest production Ford ever. Its 216-mph (348-km/h) top speed puts it in the good company of the Lamborghini Centenario and LaFerrari Aperta, two 2016 debuts that top out at 217 mph (350 km/h).
We've long known that the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 mounted amidships would be the most powerful production EcoBoost ever, but what we didn't know was exactly how high above 600 hp it would rise. Now we know that the engine puts out 647 hp at 6,250 rpm to go along with 550 lb-ft at 5,900 rpm. The car weighs 3,054 lb (1,385 kg) dry.
It may be fast, but the GT definitely isn't a straight-arrow land rocket, utilizing a precise mix of lightweight construction, active aerodynamics and active suspension to grip and rip the twists and straights of the track too. During development testing last year, Ford put it up against two very worthy competitors. The GT beat both the McLaren 675LT (2:10.8) and Ferrari 458 Speciale (2:12.9) with a 2:09.8 time at Calabogie Motorsports Park in Canada. Each car was meticulously prepared and raced by the same driver under identical conditions, says Ford.
"We achieved considerable weight savings with the carbon fiber architecture," explains Raj Nair, Ford executive VP for global product development and chief technical officer. "We then reinvested some of that savings into where it counts most – performance, specifically, the active dynamics. The result is an even faster car."
Fuel economy, for those wondering, is EPA-estimated at 11 mpg city, 18 mpg highway and 14 mpg combined – definitely more "supercar," less "Eco" (Boost).
Ford began deliveries of the US$450,000 2017 GT last month. Just 250 examples per year will roll out of the new, low-volume Multimatic assembly facility in Markham, Ontario.
GT buyers were selected through a rigorous application process. After Ford began accepting online applications for the first two production years last April, it piled up more than 6,500 applications in a month, all aimed at a total of just 500 cars.
In August, it announced that it would extend production for two years, at a rate of 250 models per year. Year three is reserved for applicants already on the wait list and year four will open the process up to deferred applicants and those that missed the application window the first time around.
Source: Ford
